Richland Man Produces More Power than He Uses

RICHLAND, Wash-- A local man produces more power than he uses. He has taken the going green trend so far that he hasn't had a real power bill in four months.

He has lined his roof with solar panels and is using our 300 days of sun to keep his lights on. The extra energy that the panels produce goes right on to the power grid, keeping his energy bill non-existent.

Everytime this bachelor turns on a light, he thinks about the energy that's being used. Corey Waite is so green, he makes more power than he actually needs.

"On my roof there's a conduit that's feeding up to my photo electric cells up on the roof the solar panels up there. There are 16 of them, each one produces about hundred and 10 watts at the maximum," said Waite.

He's saving about $50 a month by making his own energy but he invested $16,000 into the system.

"Some people might spend $16,000 on a new car but to him, this is an investment. It fulfills his need for his passion and it's kind of fun," said Gail Everett, City of Richland Environmental Educator.

Fun that's not practical for everyone. A typically household would not save a lot of money but this Cougar Alum can do as he pleases.

"He's single, he's a bachelor that always helps. He's very driven," said Everett.

A passion that keeps him trying to find new ways to save energy.

"Since the beginning of May I've made more power than I've used. Now the city will come out on a monthly basis and read that reading and look at the net value. It's a new system a lot of people aren't familiar with. It took the city a little getting used to read this meter," said Everett.

What Richland is not used to is a homeowner actually putting power back on the grid and hopefully this is a growing trend.